Rebecca Maloney
Americas Press Office ,Boston
The new Renzo Piano Pavilion at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, opens today.
Arup has worked closely with Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) on the eagerly awaited expansion, which is located west of the highly acclaimed Museum’s main building, designed by the world renowned architect Louis I. Kahn.
The 101,130-square-foot colonnaded Piano Pavilion provides new galleries for Kimbell Art Museum. The building includes three galleries, education studios, a large library and an auditorium designed for music.
A highlight of the design is the top-lit east wing with its innovative light-controlling and power-generating roof system. The East Wing houses two day lit galleries and a large lobby space. The West Wing is tucked under an accessible green roof flanked by light wells that allow daylight to spaces below.
Arup provided mechanical and electrical engineering together with lighting consultancy services on this ambitious project. Arup has informed, developed and designed bespoke systems to conserve and display the art in the most appropriate environmental conditions, whilst seeking to reduce carbon emissions.
Key to achieving this is the roof system above the Southeast and North gallery and lobby spaces. A system of motorised photovoltaic louvre elements, constructed from glass and aluminium, generate enough power to offset up to 70 per cent of the carbon emissions relating to the gallery lighting and environmental control systems.
The louvres filter direct sunlight to the galleries below and can be adjusted to control daylight levels. This highly integrated design performs three functions in a single element, controlling daylight, excluding direct sunlight and generating power.
“The building’s primary function is conservation and display of art requiring closely controlled environmental conditions. Intense coordination and subtle detailing has driven the design of the building services and lighting, the sophisticated systems are almost invisible. As design engineers our work behind the scenes enables the museum to operate efficiently whilst enhancing the visitor experience.
Becci Taylor, Project Designer, Arup
The new Pavilion will be open to public on 27 November and will host an exhibition of masterworks from the Kimbell’s permanent collection. For more information on the Kimbell Art Museum and its new Renzo Piano Pavilion visit www.kimbellart.org.